Now, reach spiritual city of Tirupati in just 8.30 hours

Hyderabad: The devotee will now able to reach Tirumala the abode of Lord Venkateswara in 8 hours 30 minutes. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the 12 th Vande Bharat Express Train connecting Secunderabad with Tirupati on Saturday and this is the second Vande Bharat train to start from Telangana within three months. Subsequently PM also flagged off 13 New MMTs services (Secunderabad via Bolarum – Medchal at Secunderabad Railway station.

According to SCR officials, the train will cover the whole distance in 8 hours and 30 minutes, which is much less as compared to 12 hours taken by most of the existing services. This Vande Bharat will be running at an average speed of 77.73 kmph and it will have halts at Nalgonda, Guntur, Ongole and Nellore stations.

The train is equipped with regenerative braking system to prevent loss of energy while braking at high speeds. The locomotive draws power from the overhead power lines and the same is utilised to run the motors for application of brakes. When sudden brakes are applied, the motors work as alternators to flow the electricity in the reverse direction," explained S Manjunath, loco pilot.

The train's regular operations will begin on Sunday. The train will make travel seamless for those visiting the spiritual city of Tirupati from Hyderabad. The Secunderabad to Tirupati Vande Bharat will depart at 6 am and reach the destination (Tirupati) at 2:30 pm. The train consists of 7 AC Chair Car coaches and one Executive AC Chair Car coach with a total seating capacity of 530 passengers. The regular services of the train will start on April 9 from Tirupati and April 10 from Secunderabad, said senior officer.

Vande Bharat Express will also be environmentally friendly as the ACs will be 15 per cent more energy efficient. With dust-free clean air cooling of the traction motor, travel will become more comfortable. A side recliner seat facility provided only to Executive Class passengers earlier will now be made available for all classes. Executive Coaches have the added feature of 180-degree rotating seats, he added.